


There is No "I" in Team

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: Friends Make Life A Lot More Fun [1]
Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: Cute Kids, Elementary School, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Kid Fic, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 06:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4009774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark, Maureen, and Roger have been friends for many years, but where did it all begin?</p><p> </p><p>Fall/Winter 1977</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mark clutched his book closer to his chest as he followed the rest of his new classmates outside for after-lunch recess. It was only the beginning of his second week at his new school, but he hadn’t made very many friends yet, having stepped into a group of kids who had known each other since they were in diapers. He had been dreading starting at a new school practically all summer, and now that he was actually here it certainly did not make him feel any better. His mother kept assuring him that it would be okay and that everything would be alright in the end… But he really wasn’t so sure. Along with being such good friends already, these kids were so much louder and rowdier than he was used to. It was difficult enough for him to be that loud with people he did know, but it was nearly impossible for him with people he didn’t. Cindy always teased him about it, even though he knew that she used to be the same way. He could only hope that he would grow out of it one day, but today was not that day. He settled himself on the pavement at the grass’s edge in the sun, silently thanking his mom for making him put on sunscreen that unseasonably warm fall morning, sighing as he opened to the last page he had read. He was just getting back into the story when a girl’s shriek remarkably close to him broke him from his reverie.

 

He recognized the girl who came to a halt at his side. She was in his class and was always being teased by a boy in the year above during recess. The entire recess period was always punctuated by the monitor having to yell at the boy to stop teasing her, but it didn’t seem to deter the older boy from continuing the ritual every day.

 

“Hide me please!” the girl whined.

 

Mark knit his brow together, “Hide you?”

 

“Yes!” the girl continued, “quick, he’s coming this way.”

 

Mark looked around and in the distance he thought he spotted the older boy.

 

“Do something!” the girl put her hands on his shoulders and shook him, what did he want from here? What could he possibly do? Or the first time someone at the school actually speaking to him it seemed that he had gotten himself into quite the interesting situation.

 

“Um, I don’t,” he stuttered, but it was too late and the older boy was stopping in front of them with a grin.

 

“You can’t get me,” the girl sing-songed.”

 

The older boy just continued to grin, “Why’s that?”

 

“I’ve got him on my side,” the girl said, huddling close to Mark, “he gives me, um.”

 

“Immunity,” Mark filled in. He wasn’t sure that getting involved in this was a good idea, but what could he do with the girl clinging to him.

 

“Uh huh,” the boy folded his arms across his chest and turned towards Mark, “anything else you would like to say?”

 

Mark went pale, what was going to happen now? Why did he have to get involved?

 

“Roger Davis!”

 

The recess monitor saved Mark from saying anything more and he almost sighed in relief.

 

The girl beside him smirked as the older boy was led away, Mark turned to look at her, “Why does he always do that?”

 

“Maureen Johnson!” The girl held out her hand ignoring his question.

 

Mark was stunned speechless for a moment. The girl who had moments before been quivering beside him as now bright eyed and smiling.

 

“Mark. Mark Cohen.”

 

“So you’re new ‘round here right?” Maureen rocked back and forth on her feet.

 

“Yes,” Mark replied.

 

“Where did you come from?” she asked.

 

“Buffalo,” Mark replied.

 

"Oh," she said, seeming disappointed that Mark wasn't from anywhere more interesting, "Well, bye!"

 

Mark watched her retreating back with confusion.

 

The following day, when he'd sat down to read his book during recess again, a shadow fell over the pages and Mark looked up to see Maureen standing over him.

 

"Do you wanna play tag?" she asked.

 

"Why?" questioned Mark.

 

"Because," Maureen replied, drawing the word out, "It's fun."

 

"But why would you want to play tag with me?"

 

"We're friends now," Maureen said matter-of-factly.

 

"We are?" asked Mark, surprised.

 

Maureen stared at him as if he had two heads, "Duh."

 

For a moment, Mark didn't know what to say and he simply blinked, "Um, no thanks."

 

Maureen shrugged, "Okay."

 

Mark wrote the incident off as a fluke, but the next day Maureen was back. He turned her down again and she didn't seem too fazed, but she continued to ask him every day at recess. By the time recess was moved into the gym because of cold, Mark had given in and had been soon accepted into the group of his classmates who played tag during the break.

 

Eventually, Mark stopped bringing his book to school and tried hard to ignore just how proud his mother was about him making friends.

 

The incident occurred in the middle of December. During their usual game of tag Mark accidentally ran into Roger, the older boy who seemed to have a soft spot for teasing Maureen. Mark fell to the ground, his glasses askew on his face, and looked up at Roger.

 

The older boy grinned, "I'm it!"

 

The players all scattered, but naturally Roger made a bee-line for Maureen, tagging her unnecessarily hard and causing her to tumble to the floor.

 

"Hey!" Maureen shouted.

 

Mark shot to his feet and ran over, getting in Roger's face as much as possible, "What'd you do that for! Meanie!"

 

He shoved Roger as hard as could, which didn't do much, but unfortunately the teacher had spotted him.

 

"Mark Cohen and Roger Davis! Come get right now!"

 

"Are you okay?" Mark asked Maureen.

 

"He made me scuff my Mary Jane."

 

She stuck out her leg and Mark saw a long scuff along the toe of her patent leather shoe.

 

"That's it?"

 

Before Maureen could answer, the teacher yelled for Mark again and he made his way over. Roger was already standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking resigned.

 

"I want the two of you to sit in the corner for the rest of the period and report to the principal's office for detention at recess tomorrow."

 

"But--" Mark started.

 

"I don't want to hear it. Go sit!"

  
Mark did as he was told, dreading his forty-five minutes alone with Roger the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, for the first time in many weeks, Mark dreaded going to school. In his short life he had never received a detention and the idea of spending forty-five minutes alone with his only friends tormentor gave him butterflies in his stomach. Mark dragged his feet as he walked down the hall towards the principal's office. When he got there he was oddly the disappointed that it was the secretary, Miss Finch, instead if the principal himself.

 

Without looking up from her work she raised her hand and muttered, "Next door."

 

Mark cautiously pushed open the door to the conference room to see Roger already sitting at a chair at the table. He walked over to a chair the farthest away from Roger as he could get, and as hopped up into the high backed office chair and thought, at least we get to sit in comfortable chairs. Mark put his elbows up on the table top and rested his chin his hands. From the corner of his eye he could see Roger moving his chair up and down, and spinning it around in circles.

 

"Will you stop?" Mark asked.

 

Roger complied but a couple minutes later started up again.

 

"What is with you?" Mark groaned.

 

Instead of answering Roger replied, "You know you really shouldn't be here, you were just trying to help Momo-"

 

"Who?" Mark asked, and then it clicked, "Oh, do you mean Maureen?" he spoke to the back of Roger's chair.

 

"Who else?" Roger spun around again with his fingers steepled under his chin.

 

"You know you look a villain from a James Bond movie," Mark smiled.

 

Roger leaned forward at the table, "You've seen a Bond film?"

 

Mark looked away sheepishly, "My dad rented one from Blockbuster when my mom was out of town."

 

"Have you seen the new one with Roger Moore?" Roger asked.

 

"No, I've only seen Sean Connery."

 

Roger then proceeded to launch into a blow by blow, word for word description of the film complete with sound effects.

 

As much as he wanted to dislike the older boy, Mark couldn't help but get engaged and the two were soon chattering like old friends.

 

When the bell rang for the end of recess, the two emerged from conference room still talking past a confused Miss Finch and out into the hallway. As they separated to go to their respective classroom Roger turned and shouted, "See you tomorrow!" and Mark smiled.

************

From then on, Mark found his time divided between Roger and Maureen--both of whom seemed to crave his attention 24/7--and after a week it was starting to get on his nerves.

 

On last day of class before winter break Mark found himself in the lunch line with Maureen and Roger on either side of him having two separate conversations. As they reached the end of the line he'd had enough and let out a sharp, "Guys!"

 

Maureen and Roger fell silent and looked at him. "Can't you two just get along?" he sighed.

 

Roger and Maureen looked at each other across Mark and back it him before looking back at each other. "Ok," they chorused before grabbing their lunches and heading to a table.

 

Mark stood their for a moment and whispered to himself, "What just happened?" He shook his head, grabbed the carton of milk and shouted, "Hey guys wait up!"

 

 


End file.
